The latest Adam Sandler movie, "Grown Ups," hit theaters last weekend with an impressive degree of critical and box office success that has effectively reversed Sandler's recent trend of flops and duds.
The plot is basic enough. The death of a junior high basketball coach engenders a reunion of five fun-loving childhood buddies. Happily, this reunion parallels a real-life comedy reunion of Sander, Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade and Rob Schneider who all grew up together, professionally speaking, on Saturday Night Live. Back to the movie - these characters reunite 30 years later to honor the Coach's death and spend a weekend together in the woods.
Like most summer comedies the plot is thread bear serving more as a springboard for random skits and isolated punch lines then anything else. But it works. The jokes hit home a surprisingly efficient percentage of the time and the chemistry is effortless between these iconic staples of the stand-up comedy industry.
But the film's success works for another reason as well, fore at its heart lies the notion of childhood. And I'm not talking about the general and generic notion of childhood that unfolds between infancy and adolescence that psychologists have largely failed to weigh in on (versus the plethora of psychological theories and research that exist on all other phases of development). I'm talking about a specific sub-phase within childhood that I will term ‘bro-mantic childhood.' This type of childhood is experienced exclusively by males, particularly those who find themselves on the more sociable and masculine side of the personality spectrum.
It is a time before serious romantic relationships and highly focused ambitions. It is a time dedicated solely to boy-bonding, characterized by, among other things, the following: the opposite sex becomes a novel appeal, dares and adventurous pranks are a consistent obligation and group roles crystallize in a way that directly feeds later adult development.
Back to the movie. Let's meet the gang.
-Lenny (Sandler), the level-headed leader, has become a big-time Hollywood agent with three spoiled kids.
-Eric (James), the goofily affectionate sidekick, has become a temporarily unemployed businessman.
-Kurt (Rock), the soft-spoken moral compass, has become a domesticated dad.
-Marcus (Spade), the mischevious prankster, has become a full-time party animal.
-Rob (Schneider), the wacky oddball who endures the brunt of the pranks and punch lines (every group needs one) has become, well, an older, hairier version of that.
For an Adam Sandler film, the level of seriousness and thoughtful scrutiny brought to this unique childhood experience is surprisingly high. What emerges from the movie is a picture of the ‘bro-mantic childhood' as not just a period of uninterrupted fun and unadulterated social exploration, but as the roots of sustaining friendships, which buffer the chaos and distress of normal adult life. When the group gathers together as adults they not only experience a reboot of positive affect that sends them back into their daily routines revitalized, they also experience significant emotional and tangible support.
Sandler's spoiled children learn important life lessons, Eric gets a job, Kurt rediscovers his emotional spine, Marcus earns some morality points and Rob...gets made fun of some more. "Grown Ups" works as a PG-13 movie version of Saturday Night Live, but it also succeeds in its aim to provide a vivid reminder of just how inexplicably magical childhood, specifically the bro-mantic childhood, can be.
How does childhood come to function as such an idyllic time period? Please email with thoughts.
Here are some ideas to get the ball rolling:
a. Familial support is so comprehensive - emotional, financial, etc. - that one's attention and efforts can fully laser in on social connections and exploration
b. The more serious questions related to identity and life trajectory do not need to be addressed yet
c. As one ages into this phase of life a process of seperation or individuation starts to unfold, lavishing one with an unprecedented degree of personal freedom and self-awareness
